


The next best thing

by Nary



Category: Ashnabis (Game)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Genderqueer Character, Mild Sexual Content, Nonbinary Character, Other, Secret Identity, Sharing a Bed, Sleeping Together, Sleepy Cuddles, Spies & Secret Agents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-02-07 04:45:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18613423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nary/pseuds/Nary
Summary: Balinteze knew as soon as the words were out of their mouth that it had probably been a mistake to invite Daifan to sleep in their room.  True, it was late, past midnight, and Daifan was clearly drained from the events of the previous day, and was still facing a long walk back to their home in Banei.  It was the kind of thing a friend would say - "You could stay here."  And Daifan hadn't needed much persuading.  That didn't mean it was a good decision, though.





	The next best thing

Balinteze knew as soon as the words were out of their mouth that it had probably been a mistake to invite Daifan to sleep in their room. True, it was late, past midnight, and Daifan was clearly drained from the events of the previous day, and was still facing a long walk back to their home in Banei. It was the kind of thing a friend would say - "You could stay here." And Daifan hadn't needed much persuading. That didn't mean it was a good decision, though.

There was also, of course, only one bed, a wooden frame with a straw mattress and a simple gauzy drape around it to keep the worst of the bugs off. Balinteze offered to sleep on the floor, but Daifan said they didn't mind sharing. They kept their dashi on, loosely tied at their waist, and Balinteze left on the robe they had thrown on to answer the door. It was easier that way.

The bed was narrow, but they squeezed in, Daifan lying on their side, back towards the wall, Balinteze making do with the space that was left. As soon as they had extinguished the oil lamp, closed the translucent curtain, and were stretched out on their back, Daifan curled up against them, draping an arm lightly over their waist. Balinteze hesitated a moment, but slid their arm over so Daifan could nestle into the crook of it. It felt comfortable, and dangerously easy to relax into. 

"Is this okay?" Daifan asked.

"Yes," Balinteze said, keeping their voice calm and composed while internally flailing. It _was_ nice to be close with someone and not have to worry about being revealed. Daifan knew they were corpseborn, a bridge, and a spy. That was more than anyone else in the colony knew about them, and three less secrets they had to hide. They could let Daifan rest their head against the side of their torso and not worry that they would notice there were breasts there. Daifan certainly wasn't going to recoil in disgust at the prospect of touching a corpseborn. And while knowing they were a spy didn't tell Daifan everything there was to know about them, at least it meant they knew they weren't snuggling with Kemai the servant, but with Balinteze the emperor's agent.

And they hadn't run away yet. Actually, they were snuggling closer. And their hair smelled really nice...

"It's nice sleeping next to someone," Daifan said drowsily. "I've gotten used to sleeping alone, but when I was younger, there were always several people to a bed - or not a bed, really, but a mattress, or a pile of blankets..."

Balinteze nodded. They both wanted and didn't want to pry, to ask Daifan more about their family, or why they'd had to get accustomed to sleeping alone when it didn't sound like they preferred it. Instead they said, trying to keep their tone light, "People probably saw you come in here - they're going to assume Kemai has a girlfriend."

Daifan smiled at that. "Do you want me to make sex noises for a while, to keep up the charade?"

It had been a while since Balinteze had any reason to blush, but they did so now, glad of the darkness that hid their reddened cheeks. "It's not necessary."

"Are you sure?" Daifan teased. "I'm very good at it."

"Well, I'd need you to make them for a good long while, to uphold my manly reputation," Balinteze replied, trying not to imagine just how good Daifan might be. "And you'd probably get tired before that."

"True." Daifan yawned. "I'm already tired."

"Rest," Balinteze told them, stroking their hair gently. It was getting longer - almost reaching their shoulders now. Balinteze knew that it had been cut short when they were in prison, and that growing it back out was partly a way of reclaiming what had been taken from them. The ability to find little ways to fight back and hold on to who you were was something they admired about Daifan. Partly, of course, it was also about looking pretty - but that was its own kind of resistance for corpseborn.

Daifan gave a contented little murmur. Balinteze could feel them relaxing, the softness of them as they nestled close, gradually drifting towards sleep. It made Balinteze want to protect them from the rest of the world. They couldn't do that, though, and it was already too late to distance themselves, to keep Daifan from the risks that might come from being associated with them. The next best thing they could do was teach the younger haren, so they would be less vulnerable to those dangers. Balinteze sighed, and wondered how they'd come to feel so old at the age of twenty-three.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr at [naryrising](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/naryrising) if you want to ask questions, make requests, or chat!


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